Chapter 26

Xiang Feiran entered the Spanish restaurant, excused himself from the group, and then pushed open the glass door to step back onto the street.

Shang Mingbao and her friend waited honestly on the opposite side, and the heavy night made it difficult for Xiang Feiran to see her expression through the chaotic shadows. He could only tell from her posture that she seemed tense and uncomfortable.

He had missed the green light when he first went in to greet them, so he now had to wait for the next one. Thirty seconds. He had patience for three years, but at this moment, the wait felt endless.

The Chinese intern chased after him, calling out, “Dr. Xiang,” which brought Xiang Feiran’s attention back to her.

“Are you allergic to shrimp, too?” she asked seriously.

Although Xiang Feiran was used to being solitary, he wasn’t a complete recluse. He would still attend necessary group dinners. However, he was usually silent and did not mention his dietary restrictions when ordering. When asked about allergies, he would quietly avoid the foods without making a fuss. The intern’s first confirmation surprised him a bit. He realized that shrimp, being common in Western cuisine, might have caught the intern’s attention because he had consistently declined it.

Xiang Feiran confirmed and replied, “It’s alright. You can order what you want.”

“You’re not going to wait for us to finish eating before coming back, are you?” The intern teased with a smile, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Xiang Feiran’s gaze remained fixed on the opposite safety island as he responded casually, “No, I’ll be back soon. But don’t wait for me.”

After all, he was the host today, and it wouldn’t be right for the host to be absent.

The intern nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll head in now.”

She waved her hand and, before entering, seemed to glance back casually at the opposite side.

It looked like the person was quite tall with very fair skin, especially under the night sky. But they appeared disheveled and not very spirited.

However, just those two eyes were captured by the person across. After a brief moment of surprise, the intern didn’t dodge and calmly smiled back.

“Hey, she even smiled at you,” Liao Yunuo nudged Shang Mingbao. “It’s not like she was looking at you, why are you acting like you’re looking at her?”

Shang Mingbao covered her face and sneezed. “Stop making things up. Why would she look at me?”

Liao Yunuo said disdainfully, “You’re not wearing makeup today.”

Shang Mingbao retorted, “So what if I’m not?”

After chatting briefly, Xiang Feiran walked across the crosswalk and approached them. Liao Yunuo greeted him and then, with great tact, stepped aside. “I’ll go sit at the bar up ahead. You two chat.”

The two of them stood facing each other at the street corner. Behind them, in the window of a boutique, a Christmas wreath with colorful bells hung in the center. The bright lights did not reach Xiang Feiran’s straight nose, which blurred into a layer of frosted shadow by the time it reached his right cheek, making his usual clear and distinct features take on a slightly unsettling intensity.

Shang Mingbao could only make eye contact for two seconds; unable to hold the gaze for a third, she lowered her eyelashes. “Fei, Feiran ge, what a coincidence.”

A cliché opening line, but Xiang Feiran responded earnestly. “An article was accepted for publication. Let’s celebrate.”

“What article?”

Xiang Feiran recited the paper’s title. Shang Mingbao was confused. “What’s Gentianaceae? Aren’t you studying plants?”

The name sounded like a combination of dinosaurs and medicine, studying dinosaur innards or something… but she knew it was too absurd to say.

“It’s a plant, and a very beautiful one.”

“Oh…” Shang Mingbao nodded.

Xiang Feiran smirked. “Are you sure you want to discuss this here?”

Shang Mingbao, looking quite cool, said, “I’m leaving.”

She pretended to walk away, but Xiang Feiran grabbed her arm and looked down, “Not even a moment for a green light?”

Shang Mingbao felt a pang in her heart from his question and replied stubbornly, “You still have friends waiting for you.”

“I’m aware,” Xiang Feiran said, easing his grip but not moving his hand from her arm. “It’s windy here. Let’s move to another place.”

Shang Mingbao followed his pace. After a few steps, his hand naturally slid down from her arm to find her hand under the sleeve of her wool coat and held it.

Her fingertips were icy, and when Xiang Feiran held them, it felt like her whole body was floating, as if in zero gravity.

Shang Mingbao made only a slight attempt to pull away, her movements barely noticeable, even smaller than plucking a string. After Xiang Feiran tightened his hold a bit, she stopped resisting.

They reached a narrow alley between two old buildings, where the wind indeed calmed down. A bakery nearby filled the air with the distinctive smell of baked gingerbread.

Only then did Xiang Feiran seriously look at her. His gaze made Shang Mingbao feel as if her entire being was being respectfully regarded. She tilted her face up, her clean face illuminated by the streetlight.

In his gaze, she even forgot she wasn’t wearing makeup.

After a long, scrutinizing look, Xiang Feiran asked, “How did you end up here?”

He hadn’t expected to run into her so soon, given that NYU and Columbia were so far apart and practically separate worlds. Seeing her instantly made him feel it was a reward from heaven, making even this city, which he didn’t particularly like, seem more pleasant. He thought that everything here wasn’t so bad.

Shang Mingbao explained how she ended up there and, with her other hand emerging from her pocket, proudly and lightly showed him two dollars. “Look, I earned this.”

Xiang Feiran laughed softly, taking her hands and guiding them back into her coat pocket. “It’s still safe here. Don’t take out money on the street.”

Although Shang Mingbao had been warned repeatedly by Sophie about the dangers of New York streets, her descriptions seemed exaggerated, almost like urban legends, so she hadn’t taken them seriously. Hearing Xiang Feiran say the same thing made her go “oh,” and she left her hand in her pocket.

Xiang Feiran’s hand was also in her pocket.

The high-quality cashmere was soft and warm, causing their hands, intertwined as if barely touching, to warm up with sweat.

This kind of silent gaze undoubtedly prepared the ground for him to kiss her. Shang Mingbao grew nervous, her breathing becoming somewhat irregular.

When Xiang Feiran did not kiss her but only embraced her, his voice, muffled by her piled-up black hair, reached her ear. “Why did you want to leave earlier? Didn’t want to see me?”

Shang Mingbao instinctively shook her head. “No, I didn’t expect to run into you. I didn’t know how to face you…”

The atmosphere was fluctuating, and her inner alarm had been ringing loudly, sharp but seemingly unmanageable. She wanted to say something sulky, but couldn’t find the words. Instead, the feeling of weightlessness continued.

Continuously. Continuously.

Noticing the nasal quality in her speech and her poor complexion, Xiang Feiran guessed, “Caught a cold?”

Shang Mingbao sniffled. “Yes.”

Xiang Feiran suppressed the dark look in his eyes and whispered, “Did I give it to you yesterday?”

They both knew what happened yesterday.

“Of course not!” Shang Mingbao’s frustration made her voice louder. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”

How could she sleep well? Returning to her apartment on Fifth Avenue, feeling troubled and distracted, everything seemed unpleasant, even the potted plant in the corner. The plant couldn’t speak, so how could it exonerate itself? After a bath and lying in bed, she felt even more restless, and whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Xiang Feiran’s eyes so close.

The memories he left her were sensory: the warmth of his breath, and the cold scent, all etched into Shang Mingbao’s skin, breath, and touch.

She had a terrible dream in the early hours, and when she woke up, her blanket was tangled between her legs, half of it fallen under the bed.

No wonder she caught a cold.

Shang Mingbao, afraid he might ask her why she couldn’t sleep, glared at him and quickly said, “It’s not because of you, so don’t overthink it.”

This was no different from the saying “not silver hidden here but three hundred taels” (meaning an obvious lie).

Xiang Feiran smiled and fully accepted her explanation: “Okay, it’s not because of me. But I couldn’t sleep because of you.”

Shang Mingbao wanted to escape, not just physically but spiritually. But where could she go? Her hand was still held by him.

Her face flushed red as she struggled to utter, “Please stop talking, I don’t want to hear it.”

Xiang Feiran, being accommodating, changed the topic: “Did you take your medicine?”

Discussing this wasn’t his intention. He had been distracted all day, trying to calmly find clues to overturn Simon’s conclusion from yesterday that “she doesn’t like him that much.” But his meticulous observations and reasoning could not surpass the

Iridium

A big mountain: Shang Mingbao had never actively contacted him.

After the summer camp ended, even though Fang Suining sent her his WeChat contact card, she still didn’t add him.

If it weren’t for that unexpected encounter in the attic, he and she would have ended there.

He had already fully accepted the fact that Shang Mingbao didn’t like him that much, until just now on the phone when he accidentally heard about “a two-point liking.”

And the calmness of “even if she saw him with someone else now, she would calmly send a gift and keep her distance.”

She told him directly that he hadn’t prepared enough. The two millimeters of hope he had reserved were still too profound.

Shang Mingbao replied, “Yes, I started taking it at noon.”

She asked with concern, “What about you? Are you feeling better?”

Xiang Feiran nodded: “The fever has gone down today.”

He wanted to say something more, but his phone vibrated. Shang Mingbao glanced at the WhatsApp call avatar, which was undoubtedly female.

Xiang Feiran swiped to answer, listened for a moment, and replied, “I’ll be back soon.”

Before he even ended the call, Shang Mingbao had already withdrawn her hand from his. When he hung up, Shang Mingbao waved slightly: “See you another day, Feiran-ge, you go ahead.”

Although she wasn’t sure if knowing the truth meant anything to her, Xiang Feiran still explained, “Lin Xi, a graduate student in my group, don’t overthink it.”

Since she was the only Chinese graduate student in that direction, it made sense that she was placed in his team. He wasn’t familiar with her, and besides the lab office, they only occasionally met in the library. Lin Xi, being a socially active international student, had invited him several times to holiday gatherings, but Xiang Feiran had declined every time.

Shang Mingbao smiled brightly: “No, how could I overthink it.”

Her calmness made Xiang Feiran inexplicably irritated. He narrowed his eyes and directly asked: “Is it true that even if I’m with someone else now, you would just give me a gift and keep your distance?”

Shang Mingbao was a proud daughter of heaven. Even if she wasn’t, she would still answer affirmatively.

“Yes,” she maintained her smile and teased with a natural tone, “Otherwise? I’m not the type of fake sister who can’t distinguish boundaries.”

Xiang Feiran’s fingers curled at his side, expressionless, waiting for the numb ache in his heart to pass through his body.

“Got it,” after a moment, he said with almost cruel calmness, “That won’t happen.”

It was almost time. Xiang Feiran lifted his hand and adjusted her messy camel-colored scarf: “Be careful on your way back, dress like this from now on.”

The third kiss that Shang Mingbao had been nervous about for so long did not happen.

After parting ways, he crossed the crosswalk to the restaurant, and she went to find Liao Yuno, each joining the flow of people in their respective directions.

Before she had gone far, she received a call from Xiang Feiran.

The phone was very quiet on the other end, making his voice sound flat: “The last time doesn’t count as a date. I’ll wait for your second one.”

At the bar, Liao Yuno had already had two martinis. When she saw Shang Mingbao, she took her hand: “So cold? I thought Dr. Xiang would invite you to sit together.”

“He’s having a team dinner, not convenient.” Shang Mingbao was about to take a sip to warm herself when she suddenly remembered the medicine and asked the bartender for hot water.

Chinese people’s request for hot water had almost trained them to accommodate it. The bartender raised an eyebrow and said, “Sure.”

“He didn’t give you trouble?” Liao Yuno was waiting to hear the juicy details.

Shang Mingbao’s fingers touched the hot glass: “What?”

“Just two points.”

Shang Mingbao was taken aback: “No, he didn’t mention it at all.”

Liao Yunuo slightly parted his lips, seemingly surprised. After a moment, she unusually smiled gently: “So he took it seriously.”

Shang Mingbao rested her head on the bar and said nothing.

No wonder he didn’t kiss her today…

“Alright,” Liao Yunuo comforted her, “Anyway, it was true to begin with. It’s just right that he found out.”

After a while, she heard a mumble from beside her: “… It’s not just two points.”

Liao Yunuo glanced sideways, looking at Shang Mingbao as if she were talking to herself: “It’s at least three or four points…”

Three or four points are definitely there.

The drummer she once dated was so much like him, with his shadow all over him. Even the decisive, straightforward manner was just a low-quality imitation of him.

Liao Yunuo chuckled: “Don’t be silly. For someone like Dr. Xiang, there’s no difference between two points and three or four points. If you were with him with three or four points of affection, I’d suspect he’d go crazy sooner or later.”

The news kept saying the once-in-a-century blizzard was delayed, but the light snow continued to fall one after another, melting quickly and making New York’s already dirty streets even messier.

Shang Mingbao had found a new pastime these days.

During the break between classes, she overheard two international students discussing their desire to buy Christmas gifts to treat themselves. She walked over with her hands in her pockets and a big smile, saying, “Do you need someone to help you choose?”

These two girls were quite famous in school. Although in the open campus of New York University, one could always find a few notable Chinese international students, they were among the most famous and well-connected.

In contrast, Shang Mingbao was very low-key. Even though Liao Yunuo flaunted her wealth every day, she was very well-mannered and did not reveal her background. Some people thought Shang Mingbao was her follower, while others speculated that she was the daughter of a Hong Kong businessman. However, more often, people guessed that she was just a pretender using someone else’s influence.

Shang Mingbao spent money not to show off her wealth; it was just part of her routine. Buying a set of high-end jewelry worth millions was merely for her own enjoyment, and she didn’t post it online. Because of this, apart from those who were truly on the same level as her, others only had speculative guesses about her identity. Over time, some people mocked her as a fake socialite who couldn’t produce a single genuine item of worth.

“You?” Among the socialites, the one named Alice asked, her gaze sweeping over her from top to bottom, her smile wide and her expression casual.

Shang Mingbao responded politely with a smile, “I have a lot of knowledge about jewelry. Would you like to give it a try?”

“Don’t joke around, sweetie,” the other one, named Ajia, also laughed, “No matter how much you know, you can’t compare to a sales expert. Have you ever bought any decent jewelry? They provide professional consultants and explanations. Why would they need you?”

“Of course,” Shang Mingbao said calmly, “But you’re not just visiting one store, right? When comparing multiple brands, how do you know which one is exaggerating, which one is more valuable, and which one holds its value better?”

“Hold its value?” Alice and Ajia exchanged glances, and both laughed with their shoulders shaking in unison. “You can’t be serious. Thinking about value when buying jewelry? Isn’t it just about picking up a small item casually?”

“Oh.” Shang Mingbao seemed to understand suddenly. “I thought you were at least going to buy items worth millions. It turns out that’s not the case. My apologies.”

She began to get up to leave when she heard an angry shout from behind—

“Stop.”

Alice, with a dark expression, said, “Shang Mingbao, what do you mean?”

“What I mean is,” Shang Mingbao replied, “if you want every piece you buy to qualify for an exhibition in a prestigious collection in the future, you definitely need a professional consultant, like me.” She tilted her chin slightly. “If you end up buying subpar items, people will laugh at you.”

True experts, whether dealing with paintings, antiques, porcelain, or jewelry, not only have a keen eye but also hire professional consulting teams. These teams are responsible for scouting, inspecting, authenticating, providing expert advice, and overall collection planning, as well as facilitating or conducting transactions.

If all goes as expected, a large part of their work will involve serving the wealthy, which is one of the closest jobs to the top billionaire circles and also contributes to the advancement of human artistic civilization. It is worth crossing oceans to learn.

Shang Mingbao was confident that Alice understood what she was saying because clients who didn’t understand had been filtered out beforehand.

However, she also knew that Alice’s family was just starting in this field. They were precisely the “newcomers” that galleries, auction houses, and consultants most favored. They were often rich and eager to show sophistication, not yet realizing that the essence of the art market had nothing to do with art itself, but only with wealth investment. If a wealthy person is willing to spend a hundred million on a painting, it’s because they can use it to avoid taxes and potentially sell it for one hundred and twenty million in the future—though whether this future means ten years from now or after their death is another matter.

Ajia’s look shifted from one of contemptuous amusement to a slightly irritated scrutiny. “Shang Mingbao, you have quite a big mouth. Is it that Liao Yunuo didn’t give you enough money?”

Shang Mingbao thought to herself, Yes, I’m really short on cash right now! Only 150,000 a month!

But she maintained a nonchalant expression, not taking their sarcasm to heart. “It’s the end of the year, and there are many places to spend money. So, how about it, ladies?”

The two exchanged a glance and raised their eyebrows at each other. Shang Mingbao clearly saw these subtle, unspoken communications but chose to ignore them.

After a moment, Alice asked arrogantly, “Alright, since you need money. What do you want in return?”

“10% of the final price.”

Ajia responded, “Dream on.”

Shang Mingbao pressed her lips together and with determination said, “5%. I’ll accompany you for a day. If you don’t buy anything that day, I’ll consider it a loss and just treat it as though Shang Mingbao spent a day as your free assistant.”

After leaving the classroom, she finally let out a deep sigh. She looked at her hand and saw that her palms were drenched with sweat.

Liao Yunuo was very displeased with this, or rather, found it more distressing than being killed: “Are you out of your mind, serving those two lunatics?”

Alice and her friend were skilled at forming cliques and seemed to have grown up watching American dramas, fully understanding the American-style school bullying. Although Liao Yunuo played harder than them, she did not get along with them.

Shang Mingbao had already pulled out her calculator. “If each person spends a million, then the commission would be… one hundred thousand!”

“They probably won’t spend a million,” Liao Yunuo said, throwing cold water on her.

“One million RMB isn’t expensive, right?” Shang Mingbao said, looking at her in confusion.

Liao Yunuo: “…”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Do whatever you want, young lady. As long as you’re happy.”

Shang Mingbao is scheduled to meet with the two women the weekend after next. Although Christmas was still a month away, she was already thinking about the holiday.

Should she choose a Christmas gift for Xiang Feiran?

Yes, it was their first holiday since they reunited.

But they hadn’t been in contact for four days. Since their last accidental meeting, Xiang Feiran hadn’t reached out to her.

The only time he had contacted her was the previous noon, asking online: 【Are you feeling better from the cold?】

Shang Mingbao replied that she was fine, and Xiang Feiran advised her to rest even after recovering, but there was no further communication.

She suspected he was deliberately ignoring her, using some basic psychological tactics.

Is this how people pursue others?

Determined, she didn’t take the initiative to contact him.

As a result, amidst the end-of-term deadlines and exams, time quickly moved to the middle of the second week.

On an evening with no prior warning, she received a call from him.

“Aren’t you on Fifty-Sixth Street?” Xiang Feiran asked directly. The hallway of his apartment was dim, casting a shadow over his eyes.

Shang Mingbao’s heart skipped a beat. Holding her phone, she said, “I’m still at school, dealing with some matters.”

She was lying. In reality, she was at her new home on the Upper East Side because her parents had suddenly come to visit. She and Sophie were caught off guard and were busy checking if the house was properly arranged.

Xiang Feiran asked, “Are you finishing up soon?”

“Yes,” Shang Mingbao replied without hesitation, as she walked, removed the hairpin from her forehead, took off the messy hair tie, and took off the apron she had worn while tending the garden. She quickly made her way to the entrance, trying to hide her breathlessness.

Xiang Feiran didn’t say much more, just simply and quietly said, “I’ll wait for you.”

Shang Mingbao, too lazy to untie her shoelaces, shoved her feet into her sneakers, her fingers hurting. She shouted, “Sophie! Perfume! Bag! Bag! No, the canvas one!”

Sophie had to put down her Hermes white bag and pick up the hand-painted canvas bag she had bought at a Brooklyn flea market for 50 dollars.

Shang Mingbao quickly tidied her hair and smoothed her face. “Where’s the driver? Tell him to hurry up and wait for me. How do I look?”

Sophie asked sharply, “Miss, are you in a relationship?”

It seemed like he was… hmm… an ordinary person.

Shang Mingbao’s face changed slightly. She firmly denied, “No, I’m just meeting a classmate for a group discussion before the end of the term.”

Once in the car, she instructed the driver to take the fastest route to Fifty-Sixth Street.

Only after the car had left the driveway did she steady her breathing and quickly touch up her makeup with a mirror from her disorganized bag.

As they turned the first corner, her heart was racing.

What could he want? This question only now surfaced.

Did he want to tell her he had realized he’d rather not pursue a two-way relationship and just continue as good friends? Or did he want to explain why he had disappeared for the past two weeks? Or… was he going to tell her he was going to be with someone else and ask her to fulfill that gift?

Alright, alright. Shang Mingbao threw her lipstick aside, gazing out the window as if angered by the empty winter landscape of Central Park.

Just wait, I’ll give you a gift you’ll never be able to repay!

The straightforward streets of Manhattan couldn’t match her winding thoughts, and before she had fully calmed down, the car had already arrived.

Despite being angry all the way, she still slammed the car door and jogged into the elevator.

On the ninth floor, the elevator doors creaked open, and she stepped out eagerly, seeing Xiang Feiran waiting by the door.

He still wore his signature all-black outfit, which was never tiresome to see. Smoking was not allowed in the hallway, so he was fiddling with a cigarette, almost soft in his absent-minded fingers.

Hearing the noise, Xiang Feiran lifted his gaze and fixed it on Shang Mingbao as she approached him.

Shang Mingbao swallowed, sensing that his aggression today was dangerous.

After a second of hesitation, she managed to lift her legs again as she met his gaze. Walking over, she forced a calm smile and said, “Brother Feiran? Long time no see. I’ve been…”

She fumbled with her keys, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t get them into the lock because Xiang Feiran had pressed her against the door and forcefully pulled her into his embrace.

Shang Mingbao had been holding back— or rather, suppressing her anger for two weeks with no chance to express it. Her lips weren’t sealed by his kiss, but all her signs were set in his gaze.

Her desire to cause a scene was extinguished by that one look. Her grievances turned into a deep calm, her voice softly echoing in the corridor: “Didn’t you say you hadn’t thought of me for two weeks? Why did you suddenly think of me now?”

Xiang Feiran held her tightly, his sigh restrained, gentle, yet burning.

“I tried, just like before, to only look at you from a distance.”

His lips were only a few centimeters from hers, and in the burning heat of his breath, he spoke steadily and calmly:

“What I could do before, I can’t do now.”